Sunday, December 30, 2012

What I expected? : Coz Pritam is in excellent form and the movie is the sequel to a musical chart buster, an out and out modern commercial outing.!

Lat Lag Gayi has Benny Dayal and Shalmali Kholgade kick starting the procedures with this not-so-appealing techno dance track filled with "lat-lag-gayi", "yeah-ah-ah-ye" loops and template beats. Might work hugely on screen but as standalone track, just good.Be Intehaan by Atif Aslam and Sunidhi Chauhan, the Pehli Nazar substitute works in vain even with the feel good tune and standard arrangements mainly due to below average, ear throbbing singing by Atif and Sunidhi being utterly pointless. The song could have done wonders if it was sung by some other singers, say Arjit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, but for the Atif tag it can actually work with the singing being fakely termed as 'soulful' even when the track remains average.
Remix is a fast paced DJ gimmick.Be Intehaan(Unplugged) by Rahul Vaidya is mesmerizing, still a but conventional. Better than the original anyway!Party on My Mind is ear splitting techno dance and right from the start, I'm counting "I've heard this before" parts of the song(technically 'Inspirations') hence the song is just worth a hear even with the energetic singing by KK, Yo Yo Honey Singh and Shefali Alvarez. Another one which might work on screen.
Remix remains remix.Alla Duhai Hai by Atif Aslam, Vishal Dadlani and Anushka Manchanda is at last terrific, terrifically addictive rock-techno which follows the lines of Race Saanson Ki, but keeping its own identity engaging you from start to finish blending a huge deal of sound engineering techniques into the fair tune with powerful singing! Good hear and a thumps up!
Remix has a false tempo. Not very appealing.

Vedict : Not for Alla Duhai Hai, Race 2 was a pretty average fair for me. Even then it doesn't elevate the prospects of the album, since Alla Duhai hai comes under the situational song category. No doubt Pritam has worked on the album well, there is a fair deal of DJ ing done, but something is amiss and hence the album is worth a hear, nothing more. Just like Players in 2012, Pritam starts with a dud in 2013!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

What I expected? : Hitesh Sonik proved himself promising in Coke Studio Season Two. So expecting a good deal of melodies.

Pad Gaye Ji has KK and Sunidhi Chauhan at the helm of affairs, singing a slow rock composition which is rightfully pleasant on ears, mainly due to the endearing singing by both singers. Along the lines I felt a bit of Amit Trivedi in it, but might be my imagination, dunno, it was a good hear!Crazy Lover : WTF was that?!! Stupid techno.! Stupid lyrics.! And what the hell was Vishal Dadlani and Sunidhi Chauhan doing there!? Skip!Bas Mein aur Tu sung by Nikhil D'Souza has a fair slow melancholic melody in it with the good singing giving it an upper lift! Nice hear.!Bas Mein aur Tu Reprise has better arrangements, nothing more.Rumani by Thomson Andrews and Shalmali Kholgade holds your attention for its out of the box approach in the singing and composition, the lazy-cool rendition, head swaying tune and the whimsical jazz-techno-rock arrangements.! Good hear!Tera Mera Naam is another slow rock, this time by Shafqat Amanat Ali, of which's interludes I loved more than the singing or the tune. Average and worth a hear.

Verdict : Hitesh Sonik's debut gives an impression that he has worked more on the arrangements than the basic back bone of his songs. Good arrangements but average tune works against most tracks. I loved Rumani, and Pad Gaye ji was somewhat good too, but overall an average fair, which was sort of a let down. Could have delivered better, may be next time Hitesh!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

A R Rahman has come up with his new single Infinite Love, released on December 20, in two versions, one in Hindi and one an official English version.

The video is aimed to "instill faith and optimism in people" as the makers say.
Well, the song itself is on the lines of Rahman's other English singles like "Pray for me brother", but with a better video, which one I liked immensely. It is exquisite and has a whole variety of cultural showcase in it, the idea is commendable. Video directed by Paul Boyd and choreographed by Longinus Fernandes.

The song has been composed by Rahman itself.

The English version lyrics are written by Rahman, Blaaze and Gil Levy and Hindi version written by Irshad Kamil.

If you lie you die by Jaspreet Jazz and Neeraj Shridhar is the situational techno title track with occasional voice over by Paresh Rawal. Nothing appealing.O Sajna gives a better listen with Gajendra Verma and Puja Thaker singing a carefully crafted melody which is slow and fervid as a whole giving a good hear!Mann Mera by Gajendra Verma turns out to be an average romantic number.
Both Remixes, of O Sajna and Mann Mera were unnecessary.

Verdict : Sachin Gupta disappoints with O Sajna being the only saving grace in this otherwise below average album.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Koi Umeed(Western) by Hitesh Prasad is astoundingly a 10 minute long track with soft rock, fusion arrangements, melancholic slow feel and apt singing which is greatly appealingly to an extent but gets monotonous at some point. Good hear!Koi Umeed(Indian) takes the tender ghazal route, brilliantly sung by Shahid Mallya with minimal Indian arrangements. Great hear!Armaan Jagathi Hai even with the 80's styled background holds your attention, mainly due to the light melodious tune and feelful singing by Shaan! Good hear!Tera Zikr(Female) showcases Madhusmita's passionate and intense vocals merged into a husky melodious romantic tune backed by simple but ample soft rock arrangements and good lyrics giving one hell of a track! Great hear!Tera Zikr(Male) has Suresh Wadaker holding the mic which is as equally good as the other version, tender and a great hear!Karta Hain Dil Se is definitely an age old romantic track, or it gives such a feel with Udit Narayan and the arrangements both in retro mode, something we usually gets in Mohd. Rafi songs, which is nevertheless good!Mein Hoon Pathith is another old school track with assorted singers, slow and giving an average hear.

Verdict : This one belongs to that category of soundtracks "on which I don't have any expectations at all, but turns out to be immensely captivating.!" Rajdhani express has debutantes Lahu-Madhav and Ritesh Nalini churning out some feel good melodies rich in quality so that you tend to overlook the retro feel over them. Impressive work!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Darmiyan has certainly something wrong with it, don't know whether it is the lyrics, which is romantic, or the tune which is downright anthem-ish so that even Swanand Kirkire couldn't save it with his singing.Inkaar(Theme) is a better listen with a nice brew of Keyboard, Guitars and Cello and the fabulous female voice.Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta hai shows Suraj Jagan in his usual hard rock mode, catchy and nevertheless good!Zindagi Ka Karobar by K. Mohan works well in blending that element of mystery to the fast paced, addictive composition, but with cliched arrangements.Maula Tu Malik Hai by Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire tries hard to be appealing as a peppy sufi-sh song, but in vain.

Verdict : One of the weakest of Shantanu Moitra's works, he hasn't surely concentrated on this one. Average fair, with one or two songs occasionally appealing.

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola MusicMusic Direction : Vishal BharadwajLyrics : GulzarWhat I expected? : From Vishal Bharadwaj, a bunch of quality songs which can be cherished for some long time.

Matru Ki Bijlee ka Mandola by Sukhwinder Singh and Ranjit Barot has been making airwaves already, the track being the quirky and engrossing title dance track which has quite a catchy and interesting orchestration with terrific singing, makes up for a great hear!Khamaka by Prem Dehati is brilliant in every respect, the intelligent melodic tune, the sound, melancholic background, the choir like westersn chorus and Prem's tender and emotional singing mixed with very good lyrics. Great hear!Oye Boy Charlie is definitely the craziest dance song encountered in recent times empowered by Rekha Bhardwaj, Shankar Mahadevan, and Mohit Chauhan singing their hearts out to this insanely funny piece of music back boned by striking desi orchestration which progressively goes up in level of interest! Great hear!Lootnewale just laps up the bizzareness of the soundtrack with Sukhwinder Singh and Master Saleem at the helm of affairs converting this to a total desi addictive stuff which demands multiple hears and a thumps up! Good hear!Lootnewale Reprise by Sukhwinder Singh is just as good!Shara-Rara-Ra has been crafted around march-band arrangement setup with Prem Dehati singing this short and freaky track which totally gets you! Good hear!Badal Uthiya is Rekha Bhardwaj magic all the way, her soulfulness heard throughout the simple tuned folk melody with Bengali lyrics and melancholic sound created by the use of sonorous Sitar all through the track! Great hear!Badal Uthiya Reprise by Prem Dehati captures that somber feeling and emotion perfectly again!Chaar Dina Ki shows Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan and Prem Dehati going bersek over another short band template which is nevertheless good!Chor Police by Pankaj Kapur is in ditto mode as the previous track.Nomvula by African Umoja provides the rave and interesting South African country music sound to the whole setup, which further increases the amusement!

Verdict : The soundtrack lives up to expectations and even when many tracks are highly situational, it manages to delight the listener with brilliant melodies like Khamka and Badal along with crazy stuff like Oye Boy and Lootnewale.! Vishal Bharadwaj comes up with a winner in this riveting and amusing soundtrack!

Blunder by Rithu Pathak is kick ass, nicely orchestrated and energetically executed dance track with quirky lyrics.! Good Hear!Mar Jawan Male by Sonu Nigam and Female by Sayanti Das, is one solid mesmerizing melody which takes your attention in no time and fixes you on the spot with the seeping emotion.! Grt hear!Doom De Palakt and Govinda Ala Re are almost same, good and peppy orchestration with powerful singing.!Thumka by Shreya is captivating due to the charismatic rendition of Shreya making this dance track a good hear.

Verdict : Mar jawan is excellent while all others are superbly composed and orchestrated. It came out of nowhere but Mumbai Mirror music is largely appealing!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Top 50 melodies and top 25 dance tracks. Never wanted to include 75 tracks, but the number of good songs this year was more than expected and any song listed below couldn't have been omitted. There might be differences of opinion, but I was honest to myself while preparing the list. For the ranking, I have considered both the quality and the popularity of the songs.Melodies
50. Jiya Lage Naa - Talaash

49. Darmiyaan - Jodi Breakers

48. Vo Dekhney Mein - London Paris Ney York

47. O Re Khuda - Rush

46. Keh Ke Loonga - Gangs of Wasseypur

45. Zindagi Se - Raaz 3

44. Maula - Jism 2

43. Daaru Desi - Cocktail

42. Bolo Na - Chittagong

41. Apna hi Banana - 1920 Evil Returns

40. Oh Womaniya - Gangs of Wasseypur

39. Naina Re - Dangerous Ishq

38. Mann Jaage - Bittoo Boss

37. Piya O Re Piya - Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya

36. Ishq Wala Love - Student of the Year

35. Long Drive - Khiladi 786

34. Gustakh Dil - Shilpa Rao

33. Mein Kya Karoon - Barfi!

32. Saiyaara - Ek Tha Tiger

31. Aashiyaan - Barfi!

30. Tore Bina - Kahaani

29. Mere Nishaan - OMG Oh My God

28. Mar Jaayian - Vicky Donor

27. Laakh Duniya Kahein - Talaash

26. Saans - Jab Tak Hai Jaan

25. Soniye - Will You Marry Me?

24. Moora - Gangs of Wassypur 2

23. Saawali Si Raat - Barfi!

22. Ala Barfi - Barfi!

21. Deewana Kar Raha Hai - Raaz 3

No.

Song

Singer

Music Director

Film

20.

Shuruwat Pyar Ki

Yamini Lavanian& Nikhil D'Souza

Agnee

Aalaap

19.

Yaarian

Mohan
Kanan, Sunidhi Chauhan

Pritam

Cocktail

18.

Khudaaya

Shekhar, Raja Hasan

Vishal-Shekhar

Shanghai

17.

Jeene
De

Mohit
Chauhan

Sachin-Jigar

Tere
Naal LHG

16.

Dhak Dhuk

Amit Trivedi

Amit Trivedi

English Vinglish

15.

Kahaani

Shreya,
KK

Vishal-Shekhar

Kahaani

14.

O Saiyaan

Roop Kumar Rathod

Ajay-Atul

Agneepath

13.

Raabta

Shreya,
Hamsika, Arjit Singh

Pritam

Agent
Vinod

12.

Bichdan

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Himesh Reshammiya

Son of Sardar

11.

Rab
Ka Shukrana

Mohit
Chauhan

Pritam

Jannat
2

10.

Pareshaan

Shalmali Kholgade

Amit Trivedi

Ishaqzade

9.

Sang
Hoon Tere

KK

Pritam

Jannat
2

8.

Heer

Hashdeep Kaur

A R Rahman

Jab Tak HJ

7.

Kyon

Papon,
Sunidhi

Pritam

Barfi!

6.

Pani Da

Ayushmann Khurana

Ayushman, Rochak Kohli

Vicky Donor

5.

Dua

Nandini
Srikar, Arijit Singh, Shekhar Ravjiani

Vishal-Shekhar

Shanghai

4.

Jee Le Zara

Vishal Dadlani

Ram Sampath

Talaash

3. Phir Le Aaya Dil - Barfi!

Composed elegently and sung brilliantly by Rekha Bharadwaj and Arjit Singh and Shfqat Amanat Ali in three respective versions, it is one damn good ghazal we can never delete. It grows on you, make you tender and puts you to sleep. One of the best of 2012.!
Watch it Here

2. Piya Tu Kahe Rootha Re - Kahaani
One hell of a track and the BEST fusion music material Bollywood has ever seen in years, this Vishal-Shekhar song is high in various respects.! The outstanding singing by Javed Bashir mesmerizes you by the amazing tempo of the swaras, and the flawless, crystal clear classical rendition. The track is special due to the fact that it is one of those rare Carnatic-Hindustani rock fusion material which changes from mode to mode and from raga to raga giving the listener a roller coaster ride.! Kudos to Vishal-Shekhar for pulling off such a track. One of the best of 2012 and the one of the most under promoted.
Hear it Here

1. Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin - Agneepath
The track I listened the most number of times in 2012, Abhi Mujh Mein is undoubtedly the best melody of the year. The soothing yet complex tune of Ajay-Atul, which many singers will find difficult to pull off as brilliantly as Sonu Nigam, is graceful, boggling and oozing with love and passion! The best part is the arrangements which goes straight to our heart, the violin, Keyboard, Guitar and Percussion which capture the right feel and emits huge spurts of emotion.! Can't afford to miss this one!
2012's BEST MELODY.
Watch it Here